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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

BULLETIN No. 633 




OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY 

Contribution from the Office of Farm Management 

W. J. SPILLMAN, Chief 




Washington, D. C. 



February 25, 1918 



FACTORS OF SUCCESSFUL FARMING NE.4R 
MONETT, MO. 

By W. J. gpiLLMAN, Chief, Office of Farm Management. 



CONTENTS. 



' The area in the survey was made . 



irSlh'S "^^^ '°^^' agriculture 

Farms classified according to type of farming. 

Sources of receipts 

Percentage of area in different crops 

Kinds of fruit and their local importance 

Relation of type of farming to size of farm 

Investment 

Profitableness of the various types 



Page. 
1 

2 
4 
5 
5 
6 



Page. 
The proper status of the strawberry industry 

in southwest Missoini 10 

The speculative nature of fruit enterprises. . . 10 

Maintenance of soil fertility 12 

Organization of some typical farms 14 

Organization of dairy farms 17 

A well-organized two-man farm 19 

Legumes 22 

Tenure 24 



THE AREA IN WHICH THE SURVEY WAS MADE. 

During the summer of 1915 an analysis was made of the business 
of 274 farms lying within a radius of about 5 miles of the town of 
Monett, in southwestern Missouri/ the center of the survey area lying 
in the line betAveen Barry and Lawrence Counties. This locality is 
typical of a considerable area lying along the western margin of the 
Ozark area and the eastern margin of the western prairies. In gen- 
eral, the highest uplands were originally prairie and the slopes and 
bottom lands timbered. 

The surface would be described, for the most part, as gently roll- 
ing. A small stream flows from east to west through the town of 
Monett. The bottom lands bordering it form a tract from a quarter 
to a half mile wide, flanked on each side by a moderate rise of land 
hardly prominent enough to be described as bluffs. Beyond is gently 
rolling upland originally covered, for the most part, with blackjack 
timber (a species of oak) and extending back to the prairie areas 
covering the ridges between streams. 

^ The farm analyses on which this bulletin is based were made by INIessrs. Walter J. 
Tubbs, Ivan Allen, C. E. Allred, and F. D. Crum, under the direction of Mr. F. II. 
Branch. Mr. R. D. Jennings has rendered material assistance in tabulating the data 
and computing the tables. Acknowledgment is also due to the many farmers who kindly 
furnished details concerning their farm business, thus making this study possible. 

18027°— IS— Bull. G33 1 



Monograpfi 



2 BULLETIN 633, U. S. DEPAKTTMENT OF AGRICULTUEE. 

The soil of this region was formed mostly from limestone in which 
was imbedded a considerable amount of flint, sometimes in rather 
large masses. The limestone itself was dissolved out by rain water 
carrying small quantities of carbonic-acid gas in solution, leaving 
the impurities of the limestone (consisting mainly of small or large 
particles of flint) to constitute the resulting soil. On the slopes, 
where the finer particles of soil have been washed away, the land is 
rocky, the rocks consisting of angular fragments of flint, for the most 
part from 1 to 3 or 4 inches in diameter. Elsewhere, especially 
where the land was originally covered with blackjack timber, the 
soil is rather gravelly. The alluvial soil of the bottoms contains more 
or less gravel. On tlie higher ridges, which were originally prairie, 
the soil is somewhat finer in texture and less inclined to be gravelly. 
These prairie soils were formed in part from shales. On the whole, 
the soil may be described as gravelly loam or gravelly silt loam. 
Like most medium to heavy soils, it is fairly fertile, especially when 
abundantly supplied Avith decaying organic matter such as manure 
and tlie refuse from crops. 

The first settlers who came into this region came mainly ium 
w^ooded regions and took up land along the streams. Most of the 
stream bottoms have been in cultivation for about three-quarters of 
a century. About 40 or 45 years ago farmers began to come into the 
region from prairie districts, especially from Illinois. These settled 
on the prairies. The prairie lands have thus been in cultivation 
somewhat less than half a century. 

The wooded slopes between the prairies and the bottom lands have 
been cleared and i^ut into cultivation mainly during the last 30 years, 
the amount of woodland left being scarcely sufficient to supply local 
farm needs. 

THE LOCAL AGRICULTURE. 

WTieat is decidedly the most important of the local crops at the 
present time, corn being second in importance. The percentage of 
the crop area devoted to wheat for the crop year 1913-14 on the 
farms included in this survey was 48.8, or practically half of 
the entire area. Corn occupied 25.1 per cent. The position of 
these two crops, so far as acreage is concerned, has been practically 
reversed in the last 20 years. In 1890, according to the census for 
that year, corn occupied 4G per cent of the crop area in Barry County 
and 41 per cent in Lawrence County. In the same year wheat occu- 
pied 24 per cent of the crop area of Barry County and 33 per cent in 
Lawrence County. 

The reason for this change in the status of wheat and corn in this 
locality is not known definitely. The present high price of wheat is 
not responsible for it, for the crop to which this survey relates was. 



I 






D. of D. 
I4AR 1 1918 



FACTORS OF SUCCESSFUL FARMING NEAR MONETT, MO. 3 

sown ill the fall of 1913, when the price of wheat was still moderate. 
It is probable that the frequent occurrence of hog cholera in this 
region may be partly responsible for the decrease in the acreage of 
corn and the increase in the acreage of wheat, as the number of hogs 
kept on these farms has decreased considerably in recent years. 

The oat crop occupied 10.8 per cent of the crop area on these 
farms, which is about a normal acreage for this crop. A great many 
farmers here do not grow oats. In general, the crop is not satisfac- 
tory, it being too far north for winter oats and too far south for 
spring oats. Not infrequently the crop is an entire failure. The 
reason for the persistence of the oat crop under such unfavorable 
conditions is its value as feed for horses and the scarcity of other 
kinds of roughage. For the most part, the oats are cut and bound 
and fed in the sheaf. A portion of the crop may be thrashed and 
fed as grain. 

Various hay crops occupy about 9 per cent of the crop area of the 
farms surveyed, which is approximately the status occupied by such 
crops for the last quarter of a century. About two-thirds of the hay 
land is in timothy or timothy and clover, the rest being in millet, 
sorghum, oats, rye, etc. 

FRUITS. 

The town of Monett is the center of one of the most important 
strawberry-producing regions in this country. The acreage of berries 
is not large when compared with that of wheat and corn, or even hay, 
but it is very considerable when the intensity of the strawberry enter- 
prise is taken into consideration. Of the 244 farms ^ included in this 
bulletin, 1.5 per cent of the total crop area was in strawberries, two- 
thirds of which were in bearing. Other fruit crops also are more or 
less prominent. Apples occupy 2.6 per cent of the total crop area, 
and other fruits six-tenths of 1 per cent. While small areas of fruit 
are found on farms of all sizes, it is mainly the smaller farms that 
make fruit growing a specialty. 

YIELDS PER ACRE. 

The average yield of corn on these farms for the year 1914 was 25 
bushels per acre, which is approximately normal. The yield of this 
crop in Barry County at the last three censuses was, respectively, 26, 
25 and 17 bushels.^ In Lawrence County it was 26, 21, and 24 

bushels. ^.,11 

The average yield of oats for the year of this survey was 24 bushels, 
as compared with census figures of 21, 22, and 23 for Barry County, 
and 22 25 and 26 for Lawrence County. This again is a normal 
yield. 

most of tlie discussion which follows. 



4 BULLETIN 6.3.3, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 

The yield of wheat for tlie year of the survey was somewhat above 
the normal, being 16 bushels as compared with Barry County yields 
of 13, 10, and 12 bushels at the last three censuses and LaAvrence 
County yields of 14, 12, and 14 bushels. This higher yield of wheat 
is believed to be due to a recent marked increase in the use of com- 
mercial fertilizers rather than to climatic conditions for the year. 

The yield of hay was about half a ton per acre. This is a little less 
than half the normal yield according to the census figures. But the 
minor place occupied by hay crops in the agriculture of this locality 
renders this low yield of hay relatively unimportant. 

The average yield of strawberries the year of the farm survey was 
74 crates per acre, as compared with Barry County yields of 62 and 
50 crates for the last two census years, and Lawrence County yields 
of 90 and 56 crates. Considering the marked variability in the 
yields of this crop, the yield for the year of the survey may be con- 
sidered as practically normal. 

FARMS CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO TYPE OF FARMING. 

The 244 farms included in this study may be divided into five 
groups according to type of farming carried on, though in most 
cases the line of division between the various types is more or less 
arbitrary. One hundred and sixteen of them may be classed as grain 
and live-stock farms. They consist of farms on which the principal 
income is from grain, in nearly all cases wheat, with more than 10 per 
cent of the total income from some one type of live stock, usually 
cattle or hogs. 

On 66 of the farms grain (wheat in most cases, corn in a few 
others) constituted the only source of income exceeding 10 per cent 
of the total receipts. These are classed as grain farms. Forty-one are 
classed as grain and fruit farms. They include farms on which both 
grain and fruit are important sources of income, with no other income 
from any one source exceeding 10 per cent of the total. 

Seventeen of the farms are classed as fruit farms. The average in- 
come from fruit on these farms is about 60 per cent of the total. 
About half of these fruit farms had 10 per cent or more of their in- 
come from cattle. 

There were four farms which made the dairy business an impor- 
tant feature. On two of them dairying was the only important source 
of income; on the other two grain was about as important as dairying, 
but these four farms were grouped together because they were the 
only ones on which the dairy business was a principal feature of the 
farming. Because of the small number of dairy farms they are 
omitted from most of the tabulations for the reason that averages of 
only four items have little meaning. 



FACTORS or SUCCESSFUL FARMING NEAR MONETT, MO. 5 

SOURCES OF RECEIPTS. 

Table 1 shows the sources from which these 244 farms obtained 
their income. 



Table 1. — Sources of receipts (2Jf.'f farms near Moneit, Mo.}. 
[Figures represent percentage of total receipts.] 



Source. 



Corn 

Oats 

Wlieat 

Small fruits 
Other fruits 
Other crops 
All crops. .. 
Cattle 



Grain 
and 
live 

stock 
farms 
(116). 


Grain 


Grain 
and 


Fruit 


farms 


fruit 


farms 


(66). 


farms 
(41). 


(17). 


Perct. 


Perct. 


Perct. 


Perct. 


4.3 


8.0 


1.6 


2.2 


.8 


1.0 


.6 


.3 


48.2 


60.7 


34.9 


1.7 


2.3 


1.8 


30.1 


50.3 


1.3 


.3 


7.7 


8.5 


1.1 


1.6 


2.2 


2.6 


58. 


73.4 


77.1 


65.6 


15.4 


6.7 


5.4 


11.9 



Source. 



Horses 

Sheep 

Hogs 

Poultry 

Other stock. 
All stock. . .. 
Miscellaneou; 



Grain 
and 
live 

stock 
farms 
(116). 



Per ct. 

6.5 

.1 

7.1 

5.0 

.4 

31.5 



Grain 

farms 
(66). 



Perct. 
5.2 



2.0 
4.9 
.2 
19.0 
7.6 



Grain 
and 
fruit 
farms 
(41). 



Perct. 
3.7 



3.6 

4.5 



17.2 



Fruit 
farms 
(17). 



Per ct. 
3.5 



2.7 
4.2 
.1 
25.4 
7.3 



It will be seen that there is a considerable degree of diversity in 
the farming of this region. Wheat is decidedl}^ the most important 
source of income on the grain and live-stock and on the grain farms, 
about equal to small fruits on the grain and fruit farms, while on the 
iiuit farms there is no other important source of income from crops 
than small fruits, especially strawberries. Among the various classes 
of live stock, cattle lead as a source of income in all the groups. 
Poultry furnishes from 4 per cent to 5 per cent of income in eacli 
group. Hogs are unimportant, except on the grain and live-stock 
farms, where the income from them constitutes about 7 per cent of 
the total receipts. 

PERCENTAGE AREA IN DIFFERENT CROPS. 

Table 2 shows for the four principal types of farming the per- 
centage of land devoted to various crops. 



Table 2. — Relation of type of farming to percentage area in different crops (.3-^ 
farms near Moiiett, Mo.). 

[Figures represent percentage of land devoted to crops specified.] 



Crop. 



Corn 

Wheat. . 

Oats 

Hay 

Millet... 
Sorghum 



Grain 








and 
live 
stock 


Grain 
farms. 


Grain 
and 
fruit 


Fruit 
farms. 


farms. 




farms. 




Per ct. 


Per ct. 


Per ct. 


Perct. 


26.9 


26.0 


19.6 


33.9 


48.5 


53.1 


50.2 


9.0 


11.3 


11.3 


8.8 


7.4 


6.8 


5.1 


5.0 


7.7 


1.0 


.4 


.6 


2.6 


.7 


.3 


.6 


2.9 



Crop. 



Other forage 

Strawberries 

other small fruits. 

Apples 

other fruits 

Other crops 



Grain 

and 

live 

stock 

farms. 



Perct. 

1.3 
.5 
.1 

2.1 
.3 
.5 



Grain 
farms. 



Perct. 
1.1 
.4 



1.0 
.5 

.4 



Grain 
and 
fruit 

farms. 



Perct. 
0.4 
5.1 
1.2 
6.3 
1.0 
1.2 



Fruit 
farms. 



Perct. 
5.8 
9.3 
10.8 
5.8 
3.2 
1.6 



6 BULLETIN 633^ U. S. DEPAETMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 

On the grain and live-stock farms and on the grain farms corn 
occupies about one-fourth of the total crop area, wheat about half, 
oats about 11 per cent, hnj 5 to 7 per cent, with no other crop occu- 
pying as much as 2 per cent of the area except in the case, of apples 
on the grain and live-stock farms. On the grain and fruit farms 
the area of corn is smaller, and that of wheat is about the same as 
in the two preceding groups, Avhile strawberries rise to 5 per cent 
and apples to 6 per cent of the entire crop area. On the fruit farms 
corn occupies one-third of the total crop area, wheat oats, and ha}'' 
are about equally important, occupying from 7 per cent to 9 per cent, 
strawberries occupy 9.3 per cent, and other small fruits 10.8 per cent, 
while apples are nearly as important is in the preceding group. 

KINDS OF FRUIT AND THEIR LOCAL IMPORTANCE. 

Of the 17 farms here classed as fruit farms, strawberries were pro- 
duced on all but one, and on this one there was an acre of new plant- 
ing of strawberries. On three of these farms the area of bearing 
strawberries was 1 acre; on four it was 1| acres; on one it was 2 
acres; on four 2-| acres; on one 3 acres; on one 4 acres; and on two 
6 acres. The total sales of strawberries on 16 of these farms 
amounted to $8,251, an average of $516 per farm. 

The next most important fruit is blackberries. They were grown 
on 12 of the 17 fruit farms. One of the farms with 6 acres of straw- 
berries had also 12 acres of blackberries. The other farm having 6 
acres of strawberries had 10 acres of blackberries. Two farms had a 
quarter of an acre of blackberries each, 5 farms had from 1 to 1^ acres, 
and the remaining 3 from 3^ to 5 acres. The 2 farms having large 
acreages of both strawberries and blackberries also had large acre- 
ages of raspberries, one 10 acres and the other 7. Three other farms had 
from 1 to 2^ acres of raspberries. There were 5 acres of dewberries 
on one farm and a quarter of an acre of grapes on each of "^ farms. 

Of the tree fruits, nearly all fruit farms had apples ; but only five 
derived any income from this source, the largest amount being $250. 
Seven farms also had small acreages of peaches, in only two cases 
more than 1| acres, the area in these two cases being respectively 4^ 
and 6 acres. The sales of peaches on the two farms last mentioned 
were respectively $300 and 600 ; on the other three farms $15 to $T5 
per farm. Two farms had small incomes from cherries, one from 
plums, and one from pears, in no case exceeding $100. One farm had 
three-(iuarters of an acre in nursery stock, from which sales amount- 
ing to $170 were made. The total acreage of blackberries on these 
farms was 41 acres and the total acreage of strawberries 43; but 
more than half the blackberries w^ere on two farms, so that straw- 
berries may be considered by far the most general fruit crop of the 
region. 



FACTORS OF SUCCESSFUL FARMING NEAR MONETT, MO. 



RELATION OF TYPE OF FARMING TO SIZE OF FARM. 

In Table 3 the 244 farms are divided into groups based on area in 
crops. The table shows for each of these size-groups the percentage 
of farms that follow the different types of farming. 

Table 3. — Percentage of farms in each of six size-groups, devoted to type of 
farming specified (data from 244 farms in the vicinity of Monett, Mo.). 





Number. 


Acres in crops. 


Type. 


39 or less. 


40-79 


80-119 


120-159 


160-199 


200 or 
more. 




116 
66 
41 
17 

4 


Per cent. 
19 
19 
24 
38 


Per cent. 

43 

34 

20 

2 

1 


Per cent. 

59 

24 

12 

2 

3 


Per cent. 
66 
23 

8 


Per cent. 
60 
20 
20 


Per cent. 
67 


Grain ... 


33 






Fniit. 






3 














Number 


244 


37 


■103 


58 


35 


5 


6 







It will be noticed that of the farms having less than 40 acres in 
crops 38 per cent are fruit farms and 24 per cent grain and fruit 
farms. In this group there are also 19 per cent of grain and live 
stock farms and 19 per cent of grain farms. These figures bring out 
the important fact that among the small farms fruit is a predominat- 
ing enterprise. This is as it should be, for these farms are too small 
to give full employment in the production of corn and wheat, the 
staple crops of the region, and it is necessary, in order that their 
owners shall make an adequate living, that they introduce enter- 
prises that give more work per acre than corn and wheat. 

In the next size-group, consisting of farms having from 40 to 79 
acres of crops, the largest percentage consists of grain and live-stock 
farms, with grain farms next, followed by grain and fruit farms. 
Onlj^ 2 i^er cent of these farms are fruit farms, while one of them is 
a dairy farm. 

In the third size-group, containing farms with 80 to 119 acres of 
crops, more than half of them are grain and live-stock farms. This 
is true of each of the three remaining groups. In these last four 
groups there is still a considerable percentage of grain farms and a 
few grain and fruit farms. There is a single fruit farm in the third 
size-group. Two of the dairy farms are in this group, and one in 
the next higher group. 

The last line of the table shows the number of farms in each size- 
group, while the fii'^t column shows the number of farms in each 

tvpe-group. 

INVESTMENT. 

Table 4 shows the relation between size of farm and the total in- 
vestment and the relation between type of farming and total invest- 
ment. One of the fruit farms is omitted from this table and from 



8 



BULLETIN 633, U. S. DEPAETMENT OF AGEICULTURE. 



Table 5 for reasons that Avill be given later, but this makes only a 
slight change in the figures. 

Table 4. — Average total investment on farms of different size and type (2^3 
■farms near Monctt, Mo.). 





Acres in crops. 


Type. 


65 or less. 


66-95 


96-125 


126 and 
over. 


All sizes. 


Average. 




$5,926 
5,084 
5,190 


$9,335 

7,824 

2 10,114 


$12,875 
1 12, 251 


$17,386 


$11,015 
7,395 
7,594 
4,919 
9,033 


Acres. 
95 




76 






68 


Fruits 






36 












81 













1 96 and over. 



2 66 and over. 



3 Not including one exceptional farm 



PROFITABLENESS OF THE VARIOUS TYPES. 

Table 5 shows the relation between labor income and size of farm, 
and the relation between labor income and type of farming. It may 
be explained here that labor income is what the farmer gets for his 
labor and managing ability. It is found by deducting from the net 
income of the farm a fair rate of interest on the investment, which in 
this case was taken to be 5 per cent. In addition to labor income as 
obtained in this manner the farmer has what the farm furnishes 
toward the family living. 

Table 5. — Labor incomes on farms of different she and type (2^3 farms near 

Monett, Mo.). 





Acres in crops. 


Type. 


65 or less. 


65-95 


96-125 


125 and 
over. 


All sizes. 


Grain and live stock farms 


$117 
41 
232 


$321 
313 
598 


$617 
414 


$759 


$438 




192 


Grain and fruit farms 




410 








294 


All types 










370 















1 Not including one exceptional farm. 

As previously stated, one of the fruit farms is omitted from this 
tabulation. It was a very exceptional farm. It had 6 acres of straw- 
berries, from which the sales amounted to $1,4G8; 10 acres of black- 
l)(M-rios, with sales of $1,650; 10 acres of raspberries, with sales of 
$900; 5 acres of dewberries, with sales of $175; 10 acres of apples, 
with sales of $180; and 6 acres of peaches, with sales of $600. There 
was also 1 acre of young cherry trees. This farm is thus seen to be 
a highly specialized fniit farm. That its owner was an expert fruit 



FACTOES OF SUCCESSFUL FARMING NEAR MONETT, MO. 9 

grower is attested by the fact that his labor income amounted to about 
$2,500. That is, the net income of his farm was $2,500 more than 5 
per cent on his investment. 

The rehition between labor income and the size of farm as indicated 
by the area in crops is brought out very strikingly in Table 5. Tak- 
ing first the grain and live stock farms, those in the group having 65 
acres or less in crops each made only $117 more than interest on their 
investment. As the area in crops increases the labor income increases, 
averaging $750 for the group having 125 or more acres in crops. 
The grain farms and the grain and fruit farms tell the same story. 

In all the survey's that have been made by the Office of Farm 
Management the results have shown conclusively that men of average 
ability must farm rather large areas in order to secure a satisfactory 
income. It is only the exceptional man that can realize the ideal of 
the "little farm Avell tilled." The average man should not try to 
do so. Just how large a farm should be for best results it is difficult 
to say. A good deal depends upon the type of farming. A farm of 
an intensive type — that is, one wdiich requires a great deal of labor 
and working capital for each acre in cultivation — ^may be smaller 
than one devoted to enterprises requiring less labor and working 
capital. 

The two-man farm has many advantages as opposed to a one-man 
farm, for in a great many farm operations two men are needed. So 
far as profit of the owner is concerned, there appears to be no upper 
limit to the size of farms except the managerial ability of the opera- 
tor; but when farms are larger than fair-sized two-man farms — that 
is, farms that will give two men constant employment throughout 
the year — certain important disadvantages to the community appear. 
In the first place, the community is filled up with a class of hired 
labor which is not an addition to the permanent citizenship ; farm 
houses are farther apart; there are fewer children for the district 
school; and it is more difficult to secure good roads. The two-man 
farm may, for many reasons, be considered as approaching the ideal 
for American conditions. 

There is room in every community for a few farms devoted to the 
production of vegetables and fruits, and these may well be small 
farms because of the intensive labor such farming involves. This is 
especially true when the markets for the products of such farms are 
local. But when the farmer must depend upon distant markets and 
is thus thrown into competition with other regions engaged in similar 
types of farming, the small, intensive farm is placed at a serious dis- 
advantage. Only about 4 per cent of the total crop area of the entire 
country is devoted to fruits and vegetables, yet this area supplies 
approximately the entire demand for products of this class. A rela- 
tively slight increase in the production of fruits and vegetables re- 
18027'— 18— Bull. 633 2 



10 BULLETIN 633, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGETCULTURE. 

suits in flooding the market and thus lowering prices below the point 
of profit. Farming based wholly on vegetables and fruits to be sold 
in distant markets is thus decidedly a speculative business. In general 
it is an unsafe kind of farming, though in some years it may be 
highly profitable. 

THE PROPER STATUS OF THE STRAWBERRY INDUSTRY IN SOUTH- 
WEST MISSOURI. 

A farm that is large enough to give full employment to the labor 
available to the owner in the production of wheat, corn, and live- 
stock products can be made profitable in this region without depend- 
ing on fruit as a source of income. Yet even on these farms a small 
acreage of strawberries properly tended is a desirable enterprise. In 
some years the income from them will be small, but in other years 
it will be considerable. Even if the crop is an entire failure, the 
farmer is not crippled financially. 

On farms that are too small to give full employment in the pro- 
duction of wheat, corn,. and live-stock products there is greater need 
of some intensive crop like strawberries as a means of giving em- 
ployment to farm labor ; that is, of increasing the magnitude of the 
farm business. The force of this remark is shown by the experience 
of farmers in this community, for by far the greater portion of the 
strawberry area is on the smaller farms, as should be the case. How- 
ever, Table 5, showing the average labor income from different types 
of farming, shows that the very small farms devoted mainly to fruit 
are not as satisfactory as larger farms on which grain and live stock 
are the main sources of income. 

In this connection it may be noted that the average value of man 
labor per crop-acre on the grain and live-stock farms was $5.16, on 
the grain and fruit farms $7.45, while on the 17 fruit farms it was 
$14.92, or nearly three times as much as on the grain and live-stock 
farms. 

The number of acres of crops per man on the four types of farms 
was as follows: Grain and live stock, 59.3; grain, 54.3; grain and 
fruit. 42,5; fruit, 22.3. This shows the gi^eater intensity of fruit 
farming as compared with the other types prevailing in the region. 

THE SPECULATIVE NATURE OF FRUIT ENTERPRISES. 

Fruit crops of all kinds are occasionally a complete loss from un- 
timely frost. This has been the case with the strawberry crop in 
the vicinity of Monett, Mo., once in the last 10 years. 

In occasional years also prices are so low that no profit is made 
in the business. These are years when the crop is unusually good in 



FACTORS OF SUCCESSFUL FARMING NEAR MONETT, MO. 11 

a number of the leading fruit-producing sections of the country. 
This region has experienced two such years in the last decade. 

These occasional years which produce no profit and sometimes re- 
sult in rather heavy loss make fruit growing a speculative business. 
In the long run the good crops or the high prices, or the occasional 
combination of a good crop with high prices, will bring in enough 
money to make the business profitable in localities that are well 
adapted to it, as this region undoubtedly is to the strawberry crop. 
But the uncertainty of a profit in any particular year renders it 
unwise for the farmer to depend entirely on income from such enter- 
prises. On farms devoted largely to fruit growing this uncertainty 
may be obviated partially by having several kinds of fruit, for it is 
hardly likely that all of them will fail to produce a profit in any one 
year. The most successful fruit farm found in this survey was really 
a diversified fruit farm. It must be remembered, however, that it 
takes a man of very unusual ability to make a success with a business 
of this character. Where fruit is a minor enterprise, such diversifi- 
cation is not so necessary and may even be quite undesirable. 

If there is a good local market which renders shipping to distant 
points unnecessary, there is considerable advantage in growing sev- 
eral kinds of fruit ; but where shipping is necessary the saving from 
shipping in car lots is so great as to place the producer of small lots 
at a disadvantage. Diversification in fruit growing as a means of 
insurance against crop loss must therefore be undertaken only after 
careful consideration of the marketing problem. 

Another factor which must be taken into consideration is the dan- 
ger from disease and insect pests to which fruit crops of all kinds 
are exposed. Occasionally a disease gets a start among strawberries, 
appears in the nurseries, and is spread over a large region before its 
presence is suspected. This causes heavy loss, not only to the nurs- 
eryman, but to those who have bought plants from him. 

With all these disadvantages, however, the facts indicate that the 
strawberry business is a good one for the farmers of this region. It 
seems to be clear also that in the vast majority of cases the proper 
place of this crop is represented by a few acres. The smaller the 
farm the larger the acreage of strawberries required to fill in the 
labor schedule. The fact that the largest acreage of strawberries 
on any one farm was 6 acres is significant. This is about what an 
ordinary farm family can take care of except at harvest time. On 
the larger farms 1 or 2 acres of strawberries would generally be de- 
sirable. 

Nothing has been said here about the amount of labor required in 
harvesting the strawberry crop, since no particular local difficulty 
appears to arise in this connection. The work is made more or less 
a festival, and thousands of people from the surrounding towns come 



12 BULLETIN 633, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 

into camp near the fields for the few weeks when there is a rush of 
work of this kind. The amount of labor required for harvesting 
the crop is therefore not really a limiting factor in the acreage that 
the farmer can grow. The limit is represented rather by. the area 
which he and his family can tend at times other than harvest. 

MAINTENANCE OF SOIL FERTILITY. 

The systems of farming which prevail generally in this region are 
not such as to maintain satisfactorily the fertility of the soil. As a 
result the yields on most farms are low. The three more important 
factors in maintaining crop yields are the use of manure, the plow- 
ing under of sod crops or green manure crops, and the use of com- 
mercial fertilizers. On most of these farms the amount of live stock 
kept is small compared with that kept on farms farther north. The 
amount of manure produced on the farm is not sufficient to maintain 
the fertility of the soil at a satisfactory level. Furthermore, on ac- 
count of the general mildness of the climate, farm animals are not 
kept indoors much of the time, and a good part of the manure thus is 
not available for distribution on the tilled fields. Farmers therefore 
get relatively little from the manure actually produced on the farm. 

In order to determine the results actually obtained from manure the 
farms in this survey were divided into two equal groups, the first 
consisting of those farms having less live stock than the average per 
hundred acres of crops, and the second of those having more than the 
average. A comparison was then made between these two groups of 
farms with respect to the average yield of each of the more important 
crops. The difference in favor of the farms having the more live 
stock was as follows: Com, 1^ bushels per acre; wheat, 0.6 busliel; 
pats, 2.5 bushels ; hay, 0.1 ton. 

, When the relative acreage of these crops and the average price of 
their products for the last 10 3^ ears are taken into account this 
difference in yield in favor of the farms having more live stock than 
the average amounts to $5.14 per year for each animal found on the 
farms having most live stock over and above thos© found on farms 
having least live stock. In other words, under the average condi- 
tions which prevail in this locality the farmer, on the average, ac- 
tually gets in crop returns $5.14 from the manure of each 1,000- 
pound animal or its equivalent in smaller animals. This is a very 
low valuation for manure, a fact which undoubtedly is due largely 
to the small proportion of the manure that is actually applied to the 
fields. By taking the best possible care of manure, by distributing 
this manure in the fall of the year on land that is to be devoted to 
corn the next year, and either disking it into the land or plowing 



FACTOES OP SUCCESSFUL FARMING NEAR MONETT, MO. 



13 



shallow before cold weather it is probable that these farmers would 
get practically double the result they now get from this manure. 

In this connection it may be stated that in Chester County, Pa., 
where the live stock consists mainly of dairy cows which are kept in 
stables practically all winter and at nights during most of the sum- 
mer and where the manure is managed with unusual care the value 
of manure per cow was found by the method above outlined to 
n mount to between $15 and $16 a year. 

Table 6 shows the average yield of corn and wheat on the two 
groups of farms designated as grain and live-stock farms and grain 
farms. This table shows that on the average the gi-ain and live- 
stock farms obtained 3.7 bushels more corn per acre than did the 
straight grain farms. On the other hand, the grain farms obtained 
an average of 0.6 of a bushel more wheat per acre than the grain and 
live-stock farms. This difference is due to two causes. In the first 
place, manure is applied mainly to com land on both groups of 
farms. The grain and live-stock farms, having more manure, get 
larger yields of corn. But wheat gets comparatively little benefit 
from the manure, dependence being placed on commercial fertilizers 
for this crop. Table 6 shows that the grain farmers used more 
fertilizer than the grain and live-stock farmers. . Hence they get 
larger yields of wheat. The figures of this table show that, for those 
farms using commercial fertilizers, the grain farmers used $11 worth 
more per 100 acres of crops than did the grain and live-stock farmers. 

Table 6. — Yield of corn and wheat on grain and live stock and on grain farms 
(182 farms near Monett, Mo.). 



Type. 


Corn. 


Wheat. 


Fertilizer bought 
per 100 acres of 
crops. 




Farms 
reporting. 


All farms. 


Grain and live stock farms 


Bu. 
26.8 
23.1 


Bu. 
16.1 
16.7 


844.5 
55.5 


$33.0 




40.3 







Studies of methods of maintaining good yields have shown that 
the plowing under of sod crops is very important. Crops of this 
character are not much grown in this region, almost the only sod- 
crop being a few acres of timothy, and usually this is left doAvn for 
many years and pastured rather closely, so that even when it is 
plowed up not much effect results from the sod plowed under. In 
the absence of sod crops and of abundant manure the plowing under 
of crops especially sown for the purpose becomes important. But 



14 BULLETIN 633, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF ACxKICULTURE. 

this is a practice very little followed in tiiis region. This phase of 
the problem of maintaining soil fertility will be referred to again in 
discussing the organization of farms in this area. 

To show how important from the standpoint of profit good crop 
yields are, the data given in Table 7 will be of interest. In order to 
make the meaning of this table clear, it is necessary to tell what the 
crop index is. To say that the crop index of a particular farm is 90 
means that the average yield of crops on this farm is 90 per cent of 
the average of the community. The farms included in this survey 
were divided into three groups, the first consisting of those on which 
the crop index was 90 or less, the second those having a crop index from 
90 to 110, and the third those with a crop index of more than 110. 
There were 88 farms in the first group, 86 in the second, and 70 in 
the third. The average size of farm was nearly the same in each 
group. The average of the crop indexes of the first group was 76, 
the second 100, and the third 129. The average labor income of the 
first group was $122, of the second $377, and of the third $676. 
These figures show the outstanding importance of keeping the land 
fertile. It is one of the most important problems confronting 
farmers in this region. 

Table 7. — The effect of crop index on profits {2.'j-'i farms near Monett, Mo.). 





Groups based on crop index. 


Item. 


90 and 
under. 


90.1 to 
110. 


110.1 and 
over. 


Number of farms 


88 

76 

$122 


86 
100 

$377 


70 




129 


Average labor income 


$676 







ORGANIZATION OF SOME TYPICAL FARMS. 

The organization of three typical grain and liA^e-stock farms is 
shown in Table 8. Each of these farms has from 105^ to 107 acres 
in crops. It happens also in each case that the operator owns part 
of the land and rents additional land. The first one rents 62 acres, 
the second one 40, and the third one 38. These farmers have recog- 
nized the fact that it is easier to make a satisfactory income on a 
large farm than on a small one, and have chosen a very satisfactory 
means of enlarging their business in the absence of sufficient capital 
to own all the land they can till. It will be noted that they have 
almost exactly the same amount of live stock, the investment in this 
item being about $1,100 in each case. On one of them the value of the 
buildings, other than the dwelling, is very low. This is due to the 
fact tliat the buildings are very old and practically ready to be 
torn down. 



FACTORS OF SUCCESSFUL FARMING NEAR MONETT, MO. 



15 



Tabue 8. — Three successful grain and live-stock farms (designated I, II, and 
III) operated by ouyners renting additional land (Monctt, Mo., area). 



THE FARM. 



III. 



Area in crops acres. 

Area in pasture do. . . 

Area rented do. . . 

Investment of operator dollars. 

Value of real estate per acre do... 

Value of live stock do. . . 

Value of implements and machinery do. . . 

Feed and supplies on hand '. do. . . 

Cash for current expenses do.. . 

Value of dwelling do. . . 

Value of other buildings do. . . 



10f,.V 
34' 
02 
9, 493 
56 
1,127 

215 

111 
40 

750 
75 



106 

15 

40 

7,56S 

48 

1,132 

305 

101 

30 

800 

400 



107 
37 
38 
10, 493 
61 
1,094 
108 
191 
40 
500 
500 



CROPS. 



Kind. 


Acres. 


Yield per acre.' 


Sales. 


I. 


II. 


III. 


I. 


II. 


III. 


I. 


n. 


III. 


Corn 


41 

59 

5 


27 
64 
10 

4 


49 

58 


35 
16 
15 


33 
14 

27 


37 
22 


$340 
700 


$55 
623 


$589 


Wheat 


874 


Oats 














Blackberries . 


J 




36 






22 






Grapes 


i 






























Total crop sales . 










1 


1,002 


678 


1 463 












i 





1 Yields given are: For com, wheat, and oats, bushels; for berries, crates; for grapes, baskets. 

LIVE STOCK. 



Kind. 


Number. 


Sales and increases in 
value. 




I. 


II. 


III. 


I. 


II. 


III. 


Cows 


5 

3^ 
1 


4 
2 


5 
6 


$230 

85 
8 


$200 
70 


$350 


Young cattle 


10 


Steers ... 














Total income from cattle 








323 
230 


330 
200 


360 


Including dairy products, amounting to 








225 












Horses and mules 


4 


5 
2 
12 
05 


8 

3 

13 

100 


25 

95' 

66 
94 


103 
100 
175 

59 
64 


—20 


Colts 


120 


Hogs 


11 
05 


112 


Poultry 


96 


Miscellaneous 


204 













RECEIPTS, EXPENDITURES, AND PROFITS. 



Item. 


I. 


II. 


III. 


Total receipts 


$2,070 
406 
380 
1,285 
475 
810 


$1,835 
322 

582 
931 
378 
553 


$2,604 


Rent 


294 


Other expenses 


433 


Net income 


1,857 




525 


Labor income 


1,332 







16 BULLETIN 633, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTTJRE. 

Table 8. — Three successful grain and live-stock farms (designated I, II, and 
III) operated hy owners renting additional land (Monett, Mo., area). — Con. 

FACTORS AFFECTING PROFITS. 

Item. I. .II. III. 

Income per cow from sale of dairy products $46 S65 845 

Feed bought 75 105 

Fertilizers bought 10 20 

Value of fainilv labor 30 6 54 

Cost of labor hired 45 1S2 93 

Months of labor oa the farm 14.5 18. 6 17. 2 

Average crop yields in percentage of community average Ill 103 140 

The second section of the table shows the crops grown on these 
farms — first, tlie acreage of each crop ; second, tlie yield per acre ; and 
third, the sales of crop products. Each farm has approximately CO 
acres of wheat. The second farm has only 27 acres of corn, but the 
other two have between 40 and 50 acres. It will be seen later that the 
second farm is not as successful as the other two. Too much land 
is in wdieat. This is shown by the yield of crops on these farms. 
On the second farm the yield of wheat is only 14 bushels, while on the 
third it is 22 bushels. Two of the farms have small acreages of oats, 
none of which is sold. The second farm has undertaken to increase 
its income by adding 4 acres of strawberries, which is probably wise 
in this case, though the acreage is a little large for the conditions. 
The first farm has a small patch of blackberries, from which there 
was an income of $22. The second farm has a small patch of grapes, 
but with no income from this source. 

A study of the results given later in this table leads to the con- 
clusion that the second farm is not so well organized and managed 
as the first and third. It has too much of its land in wheat, too little 
in corn, and too much in oats. The presence of grapes on the farm, 
a crop not w^ell adapted to the region, confirms this conclusion. It 
will be noticed that the total income from the sale of crops on the 
second farm is only two-thirds to one-half as much as on the other 
two. 

The next section of the table shows the live stock on these farms. 
Each farm has from four to five cows and from two to six head of 
young cattle. One of the farms reports a steer, which was a calf 
raised on the farm. The total income from cattle on each farm was 
from $323 to $3G0, of which $225 to $260 was from the sale of cream. 
These farmers were patrons of a creamery. The second farm raised 
two colts, and the third raised three. The third farm has too many 
horses for its size, but this defect is balanced by the raising of colts. 
The income from hogs varies from $95 to $175, and from poultry 
from $59 to $96. Both of these sources of income could be made 
more important with profit. 

The total receipts on these farms, shown in the next section of the 
table, vary from about $1,800 on the second to $2,600 on the third. 



FACTORS OF SUCCESSFUL FARMING NEAR MONETT, MO. 17 

The amount of rent they pay runs from about $300 to $400. Other 
expenses run from about $400 to $600. The high. expenses on the 
second farm are due to the large amount of hibor hired, which comes 
to $182. On the other two farms this figure is less than $100. 

The net income, after deducting rent and other expenses, varies 
on these three farms from $931 to $1,857. This represents interest 
on the investment and wages for the labor and managing ability 
of the operator. Deducting interest on the investment, these three 
farms have labor incomes of from $500 to $1,300. These are con- 
siderably above the average for the region. Especially in the case 
of the first and third farms the labor incomes are very satisfactory. 

The last section of the table shows a few of the factors which 
affect the general results obtained on these farms. The most im- 
portant figures are those relating to the average yield of crops on 
these farms, given in the last line of the table. On the first farm the 
average yield of crops is 11 per cent above the average for the 
farms surveyed in the community, on the second 3 per cent above, 
while on the third farm it is 40 per cent above. It will be noticed 
that the labor income is approximately proportional to these figures 
expressing the average yield of crops on these farms. 

Two of the farms obtained incomes from the sale of cream amount- 
ing to about $45 per cow. The other sold $65 worth of cream per 
cow. The amount of feed bought is small, the third farm, with its 
good yields, spending nothing for this purpose. 

The total amount of labor on these three farms was equivalent to 
from 14.5 to 18.6 months of labor for one man. In other words, 
these farms are intermediate between one-man and two-man farms. 
Undoubtedly it would be profitable to convert each of them into full 
two-man farms by the addition of a little more live stock, a small 
acreage of forage crops, and a small acreage of strawberries. 

The organization of the grain farms in this region differs from 
that of the grain and live stock farms mainly in the smaller amount 
of live stock kept, the greater acreage of land devoted to wheat, and 
the smaller acreage devoted to corn. On the grain and fruit farms 
the organization differs from that of the grain and live-stock farms 
by the introduction of a few acres of fruit, usually of strawberries, 
and by the smaller amount of live stock kept. 

ORGANIZATION OF DAIRY FARMS. 

As previously stated, four farms were found in this survey hav- 
ing considerable income from dairy products. The smallest number 
of cows on any of these four farms was 13 and the largest number 
28. The income from the sale of dairy products on the four farms 



18 BULLETIN 633, U. S. DEPARTMP^NT OF AGEICULTURE. 

was, respectively, $1,840 from 28 cows, $1,125 from 17 cows, $G00 
from 20 cows, and $624 from 13 cows. The farm having 28 cows 
raised 12 acres of corn and 10 acres of sorghum fodder ; also 4 acres 
of millet and 3 acres of rye for hay. It had only 52.5 acres of crops, 
there being only 14 acres of wheat. The other three farms had from 
100 to 135 acres of crops, including from 40 to 60 acres of wheat. 
One of these farms had 30 acres of corn, 15 of which was cut for 
silage. Because of the large number of cows on these farms it was 
necessary to supplement the corn by other kinds of forage. As al- 
ready stated, one of the farms did this by growing 10 acres of 
sorghum fodder, 4 acres of millet, and 3 acres of rye hay. An- 
other, which had 20 acres of corn, grew also 20 acres of sorghum" 
fodder. The farm which had 15 acres of corn for grain and 15 acres 
of silage had 12 acres of clover for hay and 15 acres of rye pasture. 
The other farm had 40 acres of corn, 5 acres of cowpeas, and 25 
acres of oats. 

Two of these farms sold all their milk at retail in the town of 
Monett, the retail price being 4^ cents a quart. The income per cow 
for milk sold on these two farms was, in both cases, $67. A third 
farm obtained $200 for retail milk at 5 cents a quart and $400 from 
cream sold to the creamery at an average of 25 cents per pound for 
butter fat. The fourth farm sold only butter, the average price being 
27^ cents, and the income from this source being $624. The labor 
incomes on these farms were $1,691, $552, $663, and $1,299, re- 
spectively. 

A good dairy cow should produce 4,000 or 5,000 pounds of good 
milk a year. The average pounds of milk per cow on these four 
farms, not counting the milk consumed on the farm, was as follows: 
3,188, 3,743, 2,030, and 2,268. On three of them the cows were all 
Jerseys, some of them pure bred and others grades. One of the 
farms had Jersey grade cows with a Hereford bull. It also had four 
pure-bred Hereford cows and was probably changing from the dairy 
business to the beef-cattle business. It would be a great mistake 
for a dairyman to use a bull of a beef breed if he wishes to continue 
in the dairy business. 

Judging by the experience of the majority of farmers here the 
proper status of dairying in this region, except for the few farms 
that are needed to supply milk to the town, is represented by the 
keeping of a few cows mainly as a means of convertmg roughage 
and other unsalable materials into a salable product, the cream 
being sold to creameries and the young stock being raised mainly 
on waste products of the farm. These cows should be either good 
dairy cows or good animals of a beef breed, the principal income 
from Ihem in the latter case being from the sale of young stock. 



FACTOES OF SUCCESSFUL FARMING NEAR MONETT, MO. 19 

A WELL-ORGANIZED TWO-MAN FARM. 

These studies indicate that a satisfactory business can be conducted 
on a well-organized farm in this region. The most important diffi- 
culty confronting the fanners here appears to lie in the fact that the 
system of farming which seems to be best adapted to local economic 
conditions does not provide satisfactory means of keeping up the 
fertility of the soil. The most important factors in maintaining 
fertility are sod crops, manure, and fertilizers. The area of sod crops 
grown on these farms or needed in the local farm economy is very 
small and has very little influence on the fertility of the soil. Par- 
ticularly is this the case when the sod, which usually is timothy, is 
kept for several years and pastured rather closely before being 
plowed up. 

The amount of live stock kept on these farms is not only small, but 
such animals as are maintained are kept out of doors a very large 
part of the time and a great deal of the manure is lost, so far as 
the field crops are concerned. 

Aside from the loss of manure from unconfined live stock, the prin- 
cipal wastage on these farms is in corn fodder and wheat straw. 
There is every reason to believe that if cowpeas were planted with 
all the corn at the time the corn is planted, using two cowpea seed for 
every grain or corn, and then cutting the corn for fodder, it would 
pay these farmers to keep enough live stock to consume these corn 
stalks with the cowpea vines on them. If the stock kept for this pur- 
pose are dairy cows it will be necessary, of course, to buy considerable 
quantities of mill products to feed with the roughage. Whether this 
will pay will depend on the dairy quality of the cows kept. Con- 
ditions are not highly favorable to the dairy industry here. They 
are rather favorable to the raising of beef cattle. A considerable 
herd of cows of a beef breed could be maintained on these farms 
largely on roughage in winter and pasture in summer, and as this 
roughage is now available it would seem that this business ought to 
add considerably to the farm income in this region. Particularly 
would this be true if the cows were such as to produce $45 to $60 
worth of dairy products per year in addition to a good calf. 

In this connection it may be mentioned that in recent years quite 
a number of farmers in this general region have stocked their farms 
with pure-bred beef cattle, and the results are proving to be very 
satisfactory. This is a type of cattle farming that does not require 
? great deal of labor and that provides an outlet for the wastes 
which now occur on these farms. At the same time it does not re- 
quire the purchase of large quantities of mill stuifs, for these ani- 
mals can be maintained very well on cornstalks and cowpea fodder 
of good quality, a little straw, and a little corn, with perhaps an 



20 BULLETIN G33, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 

occasional feed of bran or shorts. If good pastures are provided for 
the sunnner season, the expense of keeping a mature herd of this kind 
■will be rather small. 

These studies indicate that a well-organized two-man farjn in this 
region might be based upon the following crops : Corn and cowpeas, 
40 acres; wheat, 60 acres; miscellaneous forage crops, such as soy 
beans, sorghum, oats, alfalfa, each in small acreages, say 2 to 4 
acres ; half an acre of garden ; 1^ acres of apple orchard, mainly for 
home use. There might also be 3 acres of strawberries, 2 in bear- 
ing. This would give 117 acres of crops. 

Tavo men, with four good horses, and with all the heavy work done 
with four-horse implements, could tend all these crops easily and 
do all the work, except at harvest time, without additional help; 
and they would have time to spare. 

A good complement of live stock for such a farm would be two 
mules and four high-grade brood mares, these four mares doing the 
full work of two horses, and when bred to a sound pure-bred stallion 
or the same type or breed should raise two colts each year. These 
two colts, when sold at a year old, should bring at least $100. Since 
the two mares not at work could be maintained rather cheaply and 
could help to consume some of the wastage on the farm, it is believed 
that this $100 income from colts would more than justify the keep- 
ing of the two additional mares. 

Five cows, either of a dairy breed or of a beef breed, with five 
young cattle constantly on hand, would, with the help of the horses, 
consume the larger part of the waste of the farm, together with the 
small areas of miscellaneous forage crops mentioned above. 

Two good brood sows, each raising two litters a j^ear, amounting 
to at least 20 pigs during the year, would be about the right com- 
plement of swine, though if proper means were taken to guard 
against cholera, and if the relative price of corn and hogs should jus- 
tify it, the number of brood sows kept might be larger than this. As- 
suming that five hogs will be needed for home use, this would permit 
a sale of fifteen 200-pound hogs a year. 

Such a farm could maintain 150 hens easily, with very little 
cost. These hens, if handled with a little intelligent care, should 
easily bring in a dollar apiece annually, in addition to poultry prod- 
ucts used on the farm. 

Such a complement of live stock as outlined would consume most 
of the corn, all the corn and cowpea fodder, the miscellaneous forage 
crops, and a portion of the straw. The remainder of the straw 
should be used very liberall}^ for bedding for the live stock. 

An organization such as this could be established on a farm of 
160 acres, provided there is not over 10 acres of waste land, which, 
in the nature of the case, must be devoted to the growing of tiuiber. 
This would permit, in addition to the 117 acres of crops, 26 acres 



FACTOKS OF SUCCESSFUL FARMING NEAR MONETT, MO. 21 

of permanent pasture, 5 acres for roads and fences, 2 acres for yards 
and lots, and 10 acres for woods. If much of the farm is rough land, 
the area would have to be proportionately larger. 

Such a farm would be particularly advantageous for a farmer with 
one or two growing boys large enough to take part in the farm work ; 
also for the farmer who is growing old and is no longer able to make 
a full hand at the heavy work on the farm. With one dependable 
hand hired by the year and the use of four-horse implements as far 
as practicable, the hired man could do nearly all the field work of 
such a farm, leaving the owner to look after the live stock, the straw- 
berries, garden, and orchard, and to keep in repair the buildings, 
fences, implements, etc. The farm family could tend the poultry. 

Such a farm would have the equivalent of about eighteen 1,000- 
pound animals. These animals would produce approximately 180 
tons of manure in a year. The bulk and value of this manure could 
be increased greatly by the liberal use of straw as bedding. By 
proper management 100 tons of mixed manure and straw could be 
distributed on the fields every year. This would give an average of 
2^ tons for every acre of corn on the farm. Such use of the manure 
should have a very important influence in keeping up the fertility of 
the soil. 

The wdieat straw produced on this farm should be returned to the 
land in some way. As much of it as possible should be used as bed- 
ding for the farm animals, and in this way be put into the manure. 
This gives a chance to rot the straw before it is put back on the 
land, a very important matter, since partially rotted straw is much 
better for the land than fresh straw. Such of it as can not be used 
in this way may be scattered directly on the fields. A very thin coat- 
ing of straw can be spread upon wheat during the winter. A better 
plan is to scatter straw in the fall of the year on land that is to be 
devoted to com the next year and then disk it into the soil before 
winter sets in. 

Each field will be in wheat three times in succession, the first time 
following corn. After the third crop of wheat has been harvested 
from the field it would be a good plan to sow some crop immediately. 
It would not be necessary to plow for this crop, but it would be ad- 
visable to run a disk harrow over the land. The crop might consist 
of corn or sorghum sown thickly, or it might be cowpeas or soy 
beans. At some convenient time in the late summer or early winter 
this crop should be plowed under. It might be pastured for a while 
before plowing. By using all these means of adding humus-making 
material to the soil, and then by the use of such fertilizers for wheat 
as local experience has proved to be most profitable, the yields of 
corn and wheat might easily be raised considerably above the average 
for the region. 



22 BULLETIN 633, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUEE. 

LEGUMES. 

From the standpoint of the farmer the most important character- 
istic of the legume crops, lilie clover, alfalfa, cowpeas, soy beans, etc., 
is the fact that each of them has the power of supporting in their 
roots a kind of bacteria that gets nitrogen out of the air, and thus 
crops of this kind enrich the soil in nitrogen —one of the most im- 
portant elements of soil fertility. 

Clover has been grown more or less in southwestern Missouri since 
the country was settled. In some localities it is well established and 
holds a place in the cropping system. But, generally speaking, the 
experience of the farmers of this section with the clover crop has not 
been satisfactory. In those regions where clover is grown regularly 
the common practice is to sow it in the spring on winter wheat or 
with some spring grain crop. This method has been tried many 
times by the farmers of this region, sometimes with complete success 
but more often with more or less complete failure. The trouble is 
that in many years the moisture is not sufficient for both the grain 
crop and the young clover crop, and the clover dies either before the 
grain crop is harvested or immediately thereafter. 

A few farmers of this general region have been successful with 
clover by sowing it alone in the spring on well-prepared land. It 
makes a small crop the first year and a good crop the second year: 
but this takes two years' use of the land in order to get a crop of 
clover, which is not satisfactory to most farmers. If the farmer could 
depend upon securing a good stand of clover by sowing it in the 
spring on winter wheat, the closer crop undoubtedly would be stand- 
ard in this section ; but since this method is not dependable, clover is 
of very small importance here. 

Most of these farmers have tried alfalfa. Generally speaking, the 
crop has failed^ though a few farmers in these two counties have 
grown it with greater or less success. It can not be recommended 
generally as a field crop here, though it is probable that with a little 
special attention a few acres of it might be grown to advantage on 
almost any farm. In this region it should be sown only on the 
richest land, and the land should be thoroughly limed and thoroughly 
inoculated either with dirt from an alfalfa field or from a sweet 
clover patch or with pure cultures of the alfalfa bacteria. If th«^n 
the land is well prepared and harrowed frequently enough to kill the 
weed seeds in the surface, and the alfalfa sown at a time when the 
land has proper moisture in it late in the summer or in very early 
fall, the chance for a good stand of alfalfa is fair. 

The only legume which is grown from time to time with success by 
practically all these farmers is the cowpea. All the land in this 
region appears to be inoculated for this crop ; that is, it contains the 



FACTORS OP SUCCESSFUL FARMING NEAR MONETT, MO. 23 

particular kind of bacteria that the cowpea crop requires in order to 
thrive. A few farmers grow a considerable acreage of cowpeas for 
hay. Relatively few plant cowpeas in their cornfields. But in view of 
the fact that the system of farming which prevails in this region is 
one which does not maintain soil fertility, it is advisable for farmers 
generally to give more attention to the cowpea crop. It has already 
been suggested that it is a good plan to plant the cowpeas with the 
corn at the time the corn is planted. When this is done the roots of 
the cowpeas will leave considerable nitrogen in the soil, and the 
cowpea vines, which will be harvested with the corn fodder, will ulti- 
mately be converted into manure and returned to the soil. In case 
the corn is not to be cut for fodder, it is just as well to plant the cow- 
peas in the corn at the time of the last cultivation of the corn and 
then plow the vines under either early in the winter or the next 
spring. This, of course, is not practicable where wheat is to follow 
corn, but it can be done where corn or any other spring crop follows 
corn. 

The soy-bean crop deserves more attention than it has received 
from farmers in this region. It has been tried frequently here, but 
not always with satisfactory results, for the reason that some farmers 
do not understand its requirements. Cowpeas have been grown in 
America for 150 years, and the soil all over the eastern half of the 
United States appears to be thoroughly inoculated for this crop. 
Soy beans, on the other hand, were brought to this country rather 
recently from Japan and Manchuria. They will not thrive unless 
the soil has the proper kind of bacteria in it, and these bacteria are 
not yet generally spread over the country. Hence, in order to grow 
soy beans successfully the soil must be inoculated for them. 

There are several methods of inoculating the soil for soy beans. 
Soy-bean seed carry some of the inoculating material, but very 
little. If a small patch be planted to soy beans for two or three 
years in succession it will become well inoculated, and the soil from 
this patch may then be used for inoculating any other part of the 
farm where soy beans are to be planted. Another method is to 
moisten the soj^-bean seed with water in which a little glue has been 
dissolved, sprinkle a little dirt from a soy-bean field over the seed, let 
it dry, and then plant the seed. Great care must be used in this 
method not to let the sun shine on the seed, for sunlight kills these 
bacteria very quickly. Another method is to use the pure cultures 
of the soy-bean bacteria such as those furnished by the United States 
Department of Agriculture. 

Soy beans have several very distinct advantages over cowpeas. 
The most important is that they ordinarily yield from half as much 
again to twice as much seed per acre as do cowpeas. They can be 
made into hay more easily than cowpeas, and this hay, if fed with a 



24 



BULLETIlsr 633, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRTCULTUEE. 



proper mixture of coarser material, such as corn fodder, is just as 
good as cowpea hay. Another very important point is that soy 
beans can be used for hog pasture at any time, for hogs will eat the 
leaves on soy beans greedil}^, while cowpeas are good hog pasture only 
when the seed is ripe. Soy beans are also excellent human food. 

The subject of legumes is discussed here somewhat in detail be- 
cause of the great need for means of building up soil fertility in this 
region. In view of the fact that clover is not satisfactory, it is 
believed that it would be very distinctly advantageous for these 
farmers to sow cowpeas or soy beans, or at least some crop that will 
make a growth that can be turned under after wheat that is to be 
followed by corn. 

TENURE. 

One hundred and thirty-two of the farms studied in this survey 
were operated by their owners; 88 were operated by owners renting 
additiomil land; 24 were operated by tenants. Of 30 of the larger 
farms, part was rented out, the owner having more land than he 
could operate satisfactorily. Of the 88 owners renting additional 
land, 53 Avere in the group of grain and live-stock farmers and 18 in 
the group of grain farmers. Exactly half of the tenants were on 
grain farms, 9 on grain and live-stock farms, 2 on grain and fruit 
farms, and 1 on a fruit farm. Less than 10 per cent of the farms m 
this region are operated by tenants. This is much lower than the 
general average of tenant farming in the Middle West, or for that 
matter in any large area in the country. This is due partly to the 
average small incomes made on farms in the region. A tenant farm 
ordinarily must contribute to the living of two families. Hence 
tenant farming is not common outside of the plantation system in 
the South except where the farms are fairly large and productive. 
, Table 10 gives some interesting facts about land tenure in this 
region. 

Table 10. — Relation of tenure to profits {132 farms near Monett, Mo.). 



Item. 





Owners, 


Owners, 




Owners. 


renting 
addi- 


part 
rented 


Tenant. 




tional. 


out. 




132 


88 


30 


24 


76.5 


87.8 


89.2 


83.4 


9,130 


6,519 


10,370 


l,0(il 


7(i5 


748 


603 


477 


5.2 


5.8 


3.5 


18.7 



Landlord. 



Number of farms 

Crop area acres. . 

Capital dollars. . 

Farm income do.... 

Percentage on investment i per cent. . 



24 

83.4 

7,144 

232 

3.2 



» After deducting operator's labor from farm income. 



Tenant farms, on the average, have a larger crop acreage than 
owner farms. Tenants, with a capital only one-ninth that of the 
owners, obtained an income more than half as large. By deducting 



-H Bros. 



FACTORS OF SUCCESSFUL FARMING NEAR MONETT, MO. 



25 



from the farm income the vahie of the farmer's hibor and converting 
the remainder into percentage of the investment of the operator, the 
results shown in the last line of this table are obtained. The average 
income on the investment of ov^aiers is 5.2 per cent. Farmers who 
oAvn some land and rent other land have only about two-thirds as 
much capital as those who own all their land, but they majce 5.8 per 
cent interest on their capital. Those farmers who have more land 
than they can till properly and rent part of it out make only 3^ 
per cent on their investment. The tenant, whose capital is all in- 
vested in live stock, implements and machinery, and other working 
capital, makes, in addition to his wages, 18.7 per cent interest on his 
investment. The owners of the tenant farms make 3.2 per cent net 
income after deducting their expenses. 

The facts in this table are of interest to the young man who is 
just starting out with a very small amount of capital. They indicate 
that his wisest course is to farm a few years as a tenant, for by so 
doing he can make more money than if he invested his small capital 
in land. 

Table 11. — Relation of a given amount of capital to farm income of owners and 
tenants {220 farms near Monett, Mo.). 





Owners. 


Tenants. 


Capital group. 


^^^^-l-r. f-- 


Farm 
income. 


Number. 


Farm 
area. 


Farm 
income. 


$500 and less 


! 




3 

10 
9 

2 


52 
99 
122 
317 


$337 


$50I-$1 ,000 




363 


$1,001-82,000. . 








436 


$2,001-84,000 


23 
50 
32 
38 
54 
23 
220 


54 
72 
94 
131 
156 
250 
123 


$337 
441 
613 
982 
1,135 
1,545 
834 


1,442 


$4,001-16,000 




$6,001-$8,000 








$8,001-$10,000 








$10,001-$15,000 








Over $15,000 








All farms 


24 


120 


447 







This fact is brought out still more strikingly in Table 11. Con- 
sidering only owners and tenants, three farmers are found with $500 
or less invested. These are all tenants farming an average area of 52 
acres and making a net income of $337. In the next group are 10 
farmers having a capital of $500 to $1,000, operating farms averaging 
99 acres in area and making incomes of $363. These are all tenant 
farmers. In the next group 9 farmers, with capital of from one 
to two thousand, are operating farms of 122 acres and obtaining 
a net income of $436. It is significant that these also are tenant 
farmers. 

In the next group, with $2,000 to $4,000 capital, are 25 farmers. 
All but two of them have bought small farms. Those who have 
bought farms are making incomes averaging $337. The two who 



26 BULLETIN G;)3, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGKICULTUEE. 

have remained tenants are making incomes averaging $1,442, Be- 
3'ond this point the desire for economic independence and other ad- 
vantages that accrue from the ownership of land becomes so strong 
that every farmer is an owner. It will be noticed that among the 
farms included in this study just as soon as the average income rises 
to a point Avhich represents a satisfactory standard of living from 
owner operation tenantry ceases. 

Another factor is involved here. The two farmers in the fourth 
group who remained tenants are operating farms averaging 317 
acres in size. These farms are almost too large for the managerial 
ability of the average man. Hence the man on these farms who has 
more than $4,000 worth of capital finds it difficult to utilize all his 
capital as a tenant and very naturall}^ invests it in land. The lesson 
is clear, however, for the young man with a small capital. For a few 
years at least it will be distinctly to his financial advant-age to rent 
a good farm as large as his capital will permit. When he has saved 
enough to make a first payment on a farm large enough to permit a 
good standard- of living, he then may well contemplate becoming 
an owner, and it is desirable from the standpoint of the public Avel- 
fare that he do so. 



«d Bros. 



PUBLICATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF 
AGRICULTURE RELATING TO THE SUBJECT OF THIS 
BULLETIN 

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Corn Cultivation. (Farmers' Bulletin 414.) 

Oats: Growing the Crop. (Farmei's' Bulletin 424.) 

Barley: Growing the Crop. (Farmers' Bulletin 443.) 

Good Seed Potatoes and How to Produce Them. (Farmers' Bulletin 533.) 

System of Farm Cost Accounting. (Farmers' Bulletin 572.) 

A Corn-Belt Farming System Which Saves Harvest Lahor by Hogging Down 
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School Lessons on Corn. (Fanners' Bulletin 617.) 

Growing Hard Spring Wheat. (Farmers' Bulletin 678.) 

Management of Sandy Land Farms in Northern Indiana and Southern Michi- 
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Economic Study of Farm Tractor in Corn Belt. (Farmers' Bulletin 719.) 

Corn Culture in Southeastern States. (Farmers' Bulletin 729.) 

The Farmers' Income. (Farmers' Bulletin 746.) 

Increasing the Potato Crop by Spraying. (Farmers' Bulletin 868.) 

An Example of Successful Farm Management iu Southern New York. (Depart- 
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Farm-Management Survey of Three Representative Areas in Indiami, Illinois, 
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Farm Management Practice of Chester County, Pennsylvania. (Department 
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Farming on Cut-Over Lands of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. (Depart- 
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Farming in Blue Grass Region, Study of Organization and Management pf 
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What is Farm Management. (Bureau of Plant Industry Bulletin 259.) 

Some Outstanding Factors in Profitable Farming. ( Separate 661. From Year- 
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28 



BULLETIN 633, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



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